Fowl-plucking device



Julyv 2s, 1927.

A. SIMONS FOWL PLUCKING DEVICE.

Filed Feb., 12. 1926 7 BY i im Patented July 2s,19z7.' 7

1 UNITED STATES PATENT oI-Fic'E.l

AARON SIIONS, l' NEW YOK, YN'. Y., ABSIGNOB 0F ONE-FOURTH TO NATHAN WEIN- BERG AND ONE-FOURTH TO ISSAY BERG, BOTH 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

lowLrLU-oxmo DEVICE.

This invention is an improvement in fowl plucking devices, andv relates more particu,

la'rly to the means employed for dgriplling the feathers,appl ing the require pu ing action, and thereagter releasing them.

As one important feature I provi-de a hollow rotatable member having an 'a rture through which the feathers are cause to extend, preferably by suction, and within this l0 is a second member with which the portion of the outer member at the rear edge of 'the aperture engages at the proper point during the rotation of said member to effect the feather gripping action. As the outer meml ber continues to rotate, the feathers are bent around said edge and the further rotational movement exerts the required pulling action on the feathers gripped betweenrsaid members. 3

As a further important feature I make the inner member rotatable about an axis eccentric in respect tothe axis of the outer member.

As a further feature, I provide means for rotating the ,inner member in the opposite.

direction to that of the rotation of the outer member during the feather gripping action.

As a further important feature I provide a pair of rotatable members within the outer member and in driving relationship to each other, wherebyeach, when driven rotates the other in the opposite direction.

As another important feature I provide means for controlling the application of the Il -suction ressure to the feathers and the guidingoft em into the apertures of the outer rotatable member.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one embodiment of 'my improved 4D construction, but it will be evident that various changes may be made in the details of construction without de artin from the spirit and scope of my invention. I have `Journaled on anon-rotatable forosupporting and operating my improved plucking mechanism, and

Fig. 4 is an end view of the apparatus shown in Fig.y 3.

In the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, there is provided a rotatable member havin circular parallel end walls 10 and a peri ieral wall 11. The peripheral wall is sub ivided into sections so as to provide a plurality of-apertures 12 extending lengthwise of the peripheral wall, and of substantially the full length of the rotatable member. For rotating this member there -is provided a drive shaft 13 to which one of the end walls 10 may be keyed or otherwise ri 70 idly secured. vThe other end wall ma ge i part as ereinafter described. f y The hollow rotatable member is mounted in a suitable casing having end walls 14 and 7,5 15 which are parallel and disposed' closel adjacent to the outer sides-ofthe end wal s 10 of the rotatable member. The casing also includes an outer or peripheral wall 16 a portion of which may ap roximately follow the eripheral wall of t e rotatable member, ut another ortion-of which may extend approximate y tangentially to a conduit 17 leading to suction means. The peripheral wall 16 has amain aperture 18 through which the feathers may extend, and a second aplerture 19 spaced therefrom and through w 'cli air may enter.

One end wall of the casing, for instance t-he wall 14, may ybe rigidly secured to a sleeve, bearing, or frame part 20 Within which the driving shaft 13 is mounted. The other end wall serves as a support for the inner rotatable members. As shown, the end wall 15 of the casing has rigidly secured 95 i thereto a sleeve 21 which may be in part supported by or may serve as a bearing for the inner end of the shaft 13. This sleeve 21 has two pairs of radially extending lugs or ears 22, the two lugs of each pair being disposed at opposite ends of the sleeve and serving to support a spindle or shaft 23 disposed parallel to the mainshaft, but at one side thereof. Mounted upon each s indle 23 is a rotatable member in tlie form o a roller. This has an inner fibre bushing 24 and an outer wall, layer, or jacket 25 of rubber, rubber composition, or other suitable yielding material. The ears or lugs 22 are so positioned in respect to each other and in respect to the diameters of the two rollers that the two rollers are in driving relationship to each other, and also frictionally engage the inner surface of the peripheral wall 11 of the hollow rotatable member. The driving connection between the two rollers is preferably by direct frictional engagement of their outer surfaces, so that the two rotate in opposite directions if either is rotated by the outer member.

The aperture 18 of the casing is so positioned as to receive the feathers from the fowl, and one of the two rollers is disposed Iiust inside of this aperture and directly in the path of the feathers. The other inner roller is disposed at the side of the first mentioned roller in the direction of travel of the peripheral wall of the outer member.

In the operation of my improved device the fowl is positioned adjacent to the opening 18 if the mechanism be apart of the stationary machine` or the part 18 is brought to the desired position on the fowl if the device be a hand operated or portable one. The suction applied through the conduit 17 tends to draw the feathers into the casing through the aperture 18, and between the lower roller and the edge 26 of the aperture 18. The hollow member is rotated clockwise so that each wall section 11 in Succession will move downwardly and forwardly between the roller and the edge 26. ln this way it will enter between certain of the feathers and will grip a portion of them between its front or advancing edge and the under side of the roller. The roller will cause the feathers to fold against the inner surface of the wall 11, as this wall advances, and the roller will be rotated by engagement with the advancing feathers but will hold them firmly unt-il they are pulled out. As the wall 11 advances with the feathers folded around its front edge` it will come to the second roller and will there cause the Ysecond roller to rotate in lthe same direction as the outer member is rotated. At this time the first mentioned roller will be out of engagement with the outer casing so that it is not directly driven by the latter and will be driven by its engagement with the roller shown at theleft in Fig. 1. This will cause the lower roller to rotate in the opposite direction and continue this rotation until its engagement with the feathers causes aI gripping of the latter and a reversal of the direct-ion of rotation of the roller. The two rollers thus rotate first in one direction and then in the other, and the rotation of the lower roller while gripping rotates the other roller in such a direction as to free the feathers from gripping position after they are pulled out. As soon as they are freed the blastof air in the inlet 19 carries them to the conduit and to the desired point of disposal. The air entering the conduit 18 that each wall section 11 when considered by itself is merely a curved blade rotatable about its approximatecenter of curvature. The .drum merely forms a plurality of such blades.

As previously indicated, the parts shown in Figs. 1 and 2 may-tbe employed in a hand tool or as a part of a stationary machine. In Figs. 3 and l I have shown a machine in which there is a standard BOmOunted on a base 31, and serving to support the conduit 17 and the frame part' or shaft bearing 20.

The base 81 may support an electric motor 32 which may be connected by pulleys yand-a driving belt to the shaft 18. rI he motor may also drive an electric fan or suction pump 34 which is connected to the conduit 17.

Various other mechanisms might be provided for supporting and driving the main operating parts.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is y 1. A. fowl plucking device including a curved blade rotatable about the approximate center of curvature, and al member adapted to be engaged thereby and disposed between said blade and said center, said member and said blade forming coaeting feather gripping and pulling members.

2. A fowl plucking device including a curved blade rotatable about the approximate center of curvature, and` a roller disposed between said blade and said conter, and adapted to be engaged by said blade during the rotation of the latter.

3. A fowl plucking device including a'rotatable drum having its peripheral wall formed of spaced sections with intermediate apertures, and a member disposed between said blade and said center and adapted to engage with said sections in succession for pulling the feathers.

4. A fowl pluclring device including a rotatable 'drum having its peripheral wall formed of spaced sections with intermediate apertures. and a roller disposed between said blade and said center, and adapted to engage with said sections in succession for pulling the feathers. i

5-` A fowl plucking device inclu-ding a curved blade rotatable about the approximate center of curvature, a roller disposed between said blade and saidcenter, and adapted to be engaged by said blade 'during the rotation of the latter, and means for rotating said roller in a direction op osite to the direction of rotation of said bla e.

6. A fowl plucking device including a rotatable drum having its peripheral Wall formed of spaced sections with intermediate apertures, a roller disposed between said wall and said center, and adapted to engage with said sections in succession for pulling the feathers, and means for rotating said roller in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of said drum.

7. A fowl. plucking device including a curved blade rotatable about the approximate center of curvature, and-a air` of rollers disposed between said bla e and said center and adapted to be engaged in succession by said blade during the rotation of the latter.

8. A fowlplucking device including a rotatable drum having its peripheral wall formed of spaced sections with intermediate apertures, and a pair of rollers within said drum and adapted to rotate in opposite directions.

9. A fowl plueking device including a rotatable drum having its peri heral wall formed of spaced sections with intermediate apertures, and a pair of rollers Within said drum and in frictional engagement with each other, whereby a rotation of one roller causes a rotation of the other roller in the opposite direction.

10. A fowl plucking device including a rotatable 'drum having its peripheral wall formed of spaced sections with intermediate apertures, and a pair of rollers within said drum and having frictional engagement with the inner surface of said peripheral wall.

11. A fowl plucking device including a rotatable drum having its peripheral Wall` formed of spaced sections with intermediate apertures, and a pair of rollers within sai-d drum. said rollers being so mounted as to engage in succession with the successive sections of said wall during the rotation of the latter.

12. A fowl pluclting device including a curved blade rotatable about the approximate center of curvature, and a pair of rollers disposed between said blade and said center, said rollers being positioned for frictional engageinent with each other and for frietional engagement with the inner surface of said blade, whereby each roller rotates the other when the first mentioned roller is in engagement with said blade and the other roller is out of engagement therewith.

13. A fowl plucking device including a casing having an inlet opening, means for maintaining a suction within the casing to cause feathers to enter said opening, and a pair of rotatable members within the casin one of said members being disposed within the other andhaving its center of rotation between the center an periphery of the outer member. i

14. A fowl easinghaving an inlet opening, means for maintaining a suction within the casing to cause feathers to enter said opening, a curved blade within said casing and rotatable about the approximate center of curvature and having an edge movable past said opening, and means between said center of curvature and said edge for causing the feathers to bend about the edge of said blade during the rotation.

15. A fowl plucking device including a' casing having an inlet opening, means formaintaining a suction within the casing to cause feathers to enter said opening, a curved blade within said easing and rotatable about the approximate center of curvature and having an edge movable 'past said opening, means between said center of curvature and said edge for eausin about the edge ofsai blade during the rotation, and means for varying the effective size 'of said opening.J

16. A fowl plucking device including a casing having an inlet opening, means for maintaining a suction within the casing to cause blade within said casing vand rotatable about the approximate center of curvature and having an edge movable past said opening, l,means between said center of curvature and said edge for causing the feathers to bend about the edge of said blade during the rotation, and means for varying the effective size of said opening, said means being disposed at one side of the path of movement of said blade and movable toward and from said path.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York this 11th day of February A. D. 1926.

AARON SIMON S.

plucking device including al the feathers to bend feathers to enter said opening, a curved 

